A Case Study About The Functions Of PK On English Teacher’s Growth

The English curriculum reform on elementary education is a result of the socialdevelopment’s pursuit of high-quality education. How to improve teachers’ quality? How to playteachers’ positive role in the curriculum reform? Both these questions lead researchers to focus onthe Teacher’s Practical Knowledge (PK). Nowadays, PK, as the main knowledge base for teachers’development, takes on a booming research trend. My purpose is not only to do an in-depth researchon a certain aspect of PK or add to construct the PK theoretical system, but also to supply certainpractical guidance for English teachers to know well about themselves and grow up on their ownfeet.The dynamic process of English teachers’ growth and development has presented anobviously staged feature. I joined in the English teachers’ daily practice of teaching and gathered alarge number of fresh facts through the cooperative action research. It was by analyzing the realcases and thinking over some relative theories that the author revealed the differences of Englishteachers’ PK who are in different growth stages. Novice teacher’s practical knowledge is poor, lackof individuality and situation. The novice teacher also shows urgent demands for English subjectknowledge and curriculum knowledge in his or her teaching practice. The Skilled teacher hasalready grasped the technical part of PK, but his or her weaknesses on the self-knowledge andknowledge about students till restrict their continued development. The excellent teacher has richPractical Knowledge, and this kind of practical knowledge shows wise characteristic. To reviewand optimize their PK content has become a major component of excellent teachers’ personaldevelopment in their daily practice.Although the unique practical knowledge of English teachers in different stages directlyaffects their teaching effects and their growth into the next stage, it is based on their own originalpractical knowledge, the English teachers deal with the problems they meet during their growingprocess by constant thinking, evaluation, practice, trying to solve, thinking again….The generationof new PK becomes the inner driving force that enables English teachers to solve their problemswith growth and develop into the next stage. This strong power of PK was named "backbone"according to my own opinion. The performances of the “backbone” function that PK has forEnglish teachers in different stages are as follows: One function is novice teachers "growth base" for its supply the necessary teaching skills and help the novice teachers go through the “running-inperiod” of interpersonal relationship; one function is skilled teacher’s value orientation for itsguidance to update their teaching ideas and adjustment; another function is the production base ofexcellent teachers’ practical wisdom.As for the discourse, I chose to present the real examples as well as my thinking abouttheories. In this way, I want to provide the English teachers with some practical guidance that isstrongly readable for them by ensuring the depth of my research at the same time.